Glitch in Milford school calendar fixed for 2004-05

MILFORD – For a minute it looked like Milford’s new superintendent of schools had scored a coup on his very first day at work: finding a big mistake in previous School Board action.

“I’d like to tell you your new superintendent is so detail-oriented that I found this,” Robert Suprenant said during Monday night’s School Board meeting. “But it was the staff (that found it).”

The mistake spotted the staff found was an error in next year’s school calendar, which was approved by the School Board on April 5. The calendar contained 181 days instead of the 180 called for in educators’ contracts.

The end of school in 2005 will be moved back a day to compensate; alas for students in class right now, it will have no effect on this year’s closing date. Suprenant became superintendent Monday, following the retirement of Jim Stetson, the longtime Milford Middle School principal whose 33 years with the district included his final four years as superintendent. Stetson had been working part-time since Christmas, until his successor could take over.

Suprenant was superintendent for SAU 15, in the Manchester suburbs of Auburn, Candia and Hooksett until he was lured to Milford this year. He said Monday that starting just seven weeks before the end of the school year was a good idea.

“May 3 is working out well,” he said. “When September rolls around I’ll have a good working knowledge base of the school community.”